In Everything – Give Thanks

Whether you know this from the verse in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, or whether you’ve merely heard it as an encouraging statement, we “know” this line well.

However, many times…familiarity with a statement falls short of practicing the truth of that statement. When I’m struggling to practice something I know is “good for me”, it helps if I know WHY it’s good for me, or better yet, what result will come if I practice it.

Gratitude is an attitude and a feeling, but it’s a feeling that functions similar to a muscle. The more you USE it or WORK it, the stronger it becomes. Practicing gratitude or giving thanks IN EVERYTHING will result in giving you MORE to be thankful for.

Much like so many of my clients, I’m sure you’re asking the same thing — this is great theory, but what are my practical steps to “practicing gratitude”?

Gratitude Journal or Gratitude Reminders

I have kept a gratitude journal by my bed for years. Every year, I start a new one with space for tracking three specific blessings each day of the year. Sometimes I write them at night before bed, sometimes first thing in the morning – sometimes I’ll FEEL one and write it in the middle of the day.

There are no “rules” for this obviously, but my personal rules for myself to help me to think outside of the box are that they need to be specific to THAT day and more than just generic — “health”. But, I’ll also add — sometimes the generic are all I can come up with and I’ll write those and really think deep about why I’m super grateful for that “simple or generic” gift.

Gratitude reminders are simply alarms or notifications on your phone. This may be too distracting for some, but if used correctly and timed right, it could be a huge lift in your day. Set an alarm that simply says, “be grateful” and when it pops up, pause for just 10-20 seconds if you’re really busy and think of something you are truly grateful for in that very moment. If the alarm comes at a time when you have a little more time, maybe use the reminder to dive a little deeper into the next suggestion — Meditation.

Meditation

For some, this is overwhelming or presumed to be too time consuming. I will attest that I struggled with being still and silent for long periods of time as well. However, I started slowly and gave myself a lot of grace, and now I thoroughly enjoy taking time to meditate. If the idea of quieting your mind is too daunting because you have a constant list of things running through your head, try turning that list into a gratitude list and sit and ponder those items. Or as the to-do list runs rampant, think of things to be grateful for around that list.

Gratitude Vacation

I learned this one from my husband, Mr. Vacation! What if you centered your daily/weekly gratitude practice around dreaming of a GRATITUDE vacation? What’s a gratitude vacation you ask? It’s one that is beyond your reach in this moment. It’s one that WHEN you have the means or the time or resources to take this vacation, you will overflow with gratitude. So why wait? Yes, you may have to wait to TAKE it… but why WAIT to be grateful for it. Start dreaming and use that dream to drive your DAILY discipline of feeling grateful.

Say “I Do” Daily

This goes beyond our traditional idea of wedding vows and daily re-committing to your partner. While this is a great start, we can all, single or married, say “I do” to many areas of our life.  If you are in a committed relationship, remembering the feeling you had at the alter ten, fifteen, and thirty years later is a great way to seal in gratitude for your partner. We can also apply that principle and receive that same euphoric result from saying I do to our commitment to health, to service, to building a legacy for ourselves and our family. When we reaffirm a decision or a commitment, we create a new gratitude for the decision and for the process surrounding that decision.

For example, I say “I do” to my health every morning I choose the gym over sleeping in or every time I choose my meal plan over a brownie. When I make that choice, I’m reminded of and thereby grateful (again) for the goals I‘ve set. Simply moving toward a goal with a small recommitment of completing a task toward the goal also brings gratitude into my life. On the flip side of that, I  want to encourage you and maybe challenge you to step into gratitude even on the days where you choose to say “I do” in another way.

Some days, I say “I do” to sleeping in and to the brownie…or brownieS! Full transparency!! And in that moment, I can also choose gratitude. I can choose to be thankful for taste buds, for choice, for rest, for the freedom as an entrepreneur to listen to my body when it needs rest. I can be thankful for a flexible schedule that allows me to work out later, or make the choice to have one brownie today and broccoli tomorrow. These may seem like silly examples, but the sillier the example, the more fun you’ll have with working gratitude into… EVERYTHING.

“In everything give thanks” Some spout this phrase to those who are going through something difficult and that can feel very insensitive. But I interrupt it as, in everything — in every mundane, daily, every day task, LOOK for something for which to be grateful.

I do not see it as giving thanks for EVERY THING — every trial, every hardship, every pain or struggle — but rather look for something in it, around it or even in spite of the struggle for which to offer heartfelt gratitude. The miracle or the magic of this practice is that it’ll SEEM like more GOOD is showing up in your life. When the reality is, the good has always been there — you are just taking time to notice it.